Walthamstow.......the end

Over 6,000 people attended the so called Walthamstow Farewell Gala Evening on Saturday. They arrived to pay their respects to a stadium which has stood in London E4 for 75years, and they largely partied, a roar of Derby night proportions welcoming the trap-rise of every single of the 14 races on an emotionally charged night. It was drama, excitement, sadness and hope in equal measures.

It just shows what is possible with marketing power to get that many people to watch the dogs race. It's easy to see why our sport won't be around in ten years. In this country we simply don't have one stadium like Shelbourne Park to back up the marketing power if it was available. Just look at some of our tracks, lets be honest what would anyone new coming in to the sport think of those terraces at Wimbledon home to the English Derby. We have a sport driven by promotors reducing every cost possible at the cost of the dog and the customer.

Mark my words the Walthamstow saga will be coming to track near to us all very soon.